Former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien takes up his pen to respond to “totally unacceptable insults and [aux] unprecedented threats” from Donald Trump
Published at 5:00 a.m.
Christian jeans
Prime Minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003
Today is my 91e birthday.
It’s an opportunity to celebrate with my family and friends. To look back on the life I have had the privilege of leading. And to reflect on how this country we all love so much has grown and changed over the nine decades I have been on this earth.
This year I also decided to give myself a birthday present. I’m going to do something in this text that I don’t do very often anymore: speak out on a major issue that affects the state of the nation and deeply concerns me like so many other Canadians. Of course, these are the completely unacceptable insults and unprecedented threats to our sovereignty from Donald Trump.
I have two very clear and simple messages.
To Donald Trump, from one old man to another: wake up! What makes you think Canadians would ever give up the best country in the world – and make no mistake, that’s what we are – to join the United States?
I can tell you that Canadians value their independence. We love our country. We’ve built something here that is the envy of the world — in compassion, understanding, tolerance and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and beliefs to live together in harmony.
We have also built a strong social safety net – particularly in public health care – of which we are very proud. It is not perfect, but it is based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us must be protected.
It may not be the “American way” or the “Trump way.” But this is the reality I have witnessed and experienced throughout my long life.
If you think that threatening and insulting us is going to change our minds, you really don’t know us. Little do you know that when it came to fighting in two world wars for freedom, we signed up – both times – years before your country. We fought and we made enormous sacrifices.
We also had the courage to say no to your country when it tried to drag us into a totally unjustified and destabilizing war in Iraq.
We built a nation on the most rugged and difficult territory imaginable. And we did it against all odds. We may appear easy-going and gentle. But make no mistake, we are determined and tough.
A message to our leaders
And that brings me to my second message, to all our leaders, federal and provincial — and to those who aspire to lead our country:
Start showing that determination and tenacity. This is what Canadians want to see — this is what they need to see. This is called leadership. Canadians are ready to follow. You must lead the way.
I know the spirit is there. Since Trump’s attacks, all political parties have come out in favor of Canada. In fact, to my great satisfaction, even the Bloc Québécois defends Canada!
But you don’t win a hockey game by playing defense alone. We all know that even if we meet one demand, President Trump will come back with another, more important one. This is not diplomacy, it is blackmail.
We need another approach. An approach that will break this cycle.
President Trump has accomplished one thing: he has united Canadians more than ever before! All of our country’s leaders have united in the determination to defend Canadian interests.
When I became Prime Minister, Canada faced a crisis of national unity. The threat of separation from Quebec was very real. We acted to confront this existential threat in a way that would make Canadians, including Quebecers, stronger, more united and even more proud of Canadian values.
Now there is another existential threat. And we must once again reduce our vulnerability. This is the challenge of this generation of political leaders.
And you won’t get there using the same old approaches. Yes, telling Americans that we are their best friends and closest trading partner is a good thing. So is the intense lobbying in Washington and state capitals, emphasizing that the tariffs will also hurt their economies. Regarding retaliatory tariffs: when you are attacked, you must defend yourself.
Reduce our vulnerability
But we also have to play offense. Let’s tell Trump that we too have border problems with the United States. Canada has strict gun control laws, but illegal guns flow from the United States.
We need to tell him that we expect the United States to act to reduce the number of guns entering Canada. We also want to protect the Arctic. But the United States refuses to recognize the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic as Canadian waters and insists it is an international waterway. We need the United States to recognize the Northwest Passage as Canadian waters.
We also need to reduce our vulnerability in the first place. We must be stronger. There are more trade barriers between provinces than between Canada and the United States.
Let’s do a national project to eliminate these barriers! Let’s strengthen the ties that unite this vast nation — for example by creating a true energy network across the country.
We must also understand that Donald Trump is not only threatening us, he is also targeting a growing number of other countries as well as the European Union itself. He’s only just getting started.
Canada should quickly convene a meeting of the leaders of Denmark, Panama, Mexico and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to formulate a plan to combat these threats. Every time Mr. Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. Let’s get organized! To combat raw and unconscionable power, we need strength in numbers.
Respect for our adversaries
The challenge is not to wait in fear for Donald Trump’s next move, but to build a country and an international community capable of resisting him.
Canadians know me. They know I’m optimistic. That I am practical. And that I always say what I think. I have made my share of mistakes during my long career, but I have never for a moment doubted the decency of my fellow Canadians — or my political opponents.
The current – and future – generation of political leaders should remember that they are not enemies of each other, but adversaries. No one has ever loved the toughness of the political arena as much as I do. But I always understood that each of us was trying to make a positive contribution to making our community and our country a better place.
This spirit is more important than ever as we take on this new challenge. They should keep this in mind.
I am 91 years old today and in good health. And I stand on the ramparts to help defend our country’s independence as I have done all my life.
Vive le Canada!
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